


billboard

by lolainslackss



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: (nobody calls them that), Cats, Fluff, Foxes being Foxes years after they've been Foxes, M/M, Neil being a model, Neil getting bank, Post-Canon, The Fab Five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 11:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13007091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolainslackss/pseuds/lolainslackss
Summary: "Even when I turn away I can't unsee it," Aaron continued, his back to the rest of them. "It's disgusting."...Neil follows Kevin's advice and agrees to be part of an ad campaign for Exy shoes. This ends up with Neil's face on an eight-hundred-foot-wide moving billboard, and he's not at all sure what to make of it. Neither is everyone else. Especially when Andrew notices everything.





	billboard

Andrew appeared quite suddenly.

"Do what you want," he said. "But listen to Kevin."

"Listen to Kevin?" Neil repeated, incredulous. "Since when do you care what Kevin has to say to me?"

Before Andrew could offer an answer, Neil's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked hard at the name on the screen. _Kevin Day_.

Neil gaped at Andrew, who raised his eyebrows and left the room in lieu of an explanation.

"Yeah-?" Neil began, pressing the phone to his ear.

"I heard you've been turning down endorsements," Kevin snapped at him down the phone. "Why?"

"Well hello to you too," Neil muttered darkly. "What's it been? Five months?"

"More than that," Kevin answered. "Answer the question."

"Who have you been talking to?" Neil challenged.

Kevin ignored him. It didn't matter. Neil was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

" _Bound_ is a good fucking brand, Josten," Kevin rattled on. "Just sign the dotted line and get the paycheck. It's pretty simple, even for an idiot like you."

"Really?" Neil stalled, leaning against the wall and studying his various training shoes lying by the door. "Feels a bit like selling out to me."

"What's worse - selling out or getting killed?" Kevin said.

A ribbon of fear curled itself into a neat knot in Neil's stomach.

"Don't joke about that," Neil managed. "If they weren't happy with the money they'd let me know. I haven't- I haven't heard from anyone in years."

"Keep it that way," Kevin told him. "Take the fucking endorsement."

"Why don't you-" Neil started, his temper fluttering to life.

But Kevin had already hung up.

"Bye asshole," Neil addressed the silence, before lowering his phone and staring at his lock-screen.

Him and Andrew. Sweating from practice. Andrew's got one eye closed. If you just glance at it, it looks like he's winking. Really he was squinting due to the overwhelming sunlight. Neil looked at the image for a second, calming himself down, before opening his call log. He flicked past Kevin's name and sighed before hitting the call button on the next number in his history.

"Hey, is that _Bound_?" He said once the chirpy receptionist picked up. "Could you put me through to Mr. Gibbs again? Tell him I've reconsidered."

After the call, Neil went through to the kitchen to make some coffee. Andrew was sitting on the couch, a book in his hand and King curled up on his lap. Neil glared at him.

"What?" Andrew levelled at him without looking up from his book.

"I listened to Kevin," Neil replied shortly, slamming two mugs onto the counter and filling them with coffee.

"You? Neil Josten? Listened?" Andrew drawled. "Did you burst into flames?"

"I have to go do a photo shoot tomorrow," Neil told him, sipping the hot coffee and wincing as he swallowed. "I hate that kind of stuff."

Neil walked over to Andrew and handed him a steaming mug. A thick rope of steam snaked up from the coffee and danced in front of Andrew's face as he finally lifted his eyes to meet Neil's own.

"I'll drive you," Andrew said finally, before turning the page.

 

...

 

"You're so dramatic," Andrew said as he followed Neil into their apartment.

Neil dumped the huge bags full of _Bound_ shoes at the end of the hallway. They'd been quite generous: he had a mix of shoes - some suitable for training and some designed for use in games. He'd gotten to choose the various colours of the shoes. While he'd stuck mostly to the colours he and Andrew now wore, he hadn't been able to stop himself from getting a pair of orange-and-white training shoes. They'd probably be suitable for running too. He was intrigued to take a look, but first he wanted to have a shower.

As Neil started undressing, Andrew put a cigarette to his lips and watched him a moment.

Neil pulled his t-shirt over his head and stared back.

"I'm _not_ dramatic. That took _hours_ , and they put so much of that shit in my hair, and I had to do some of the most cringeworthy poses imaginable. For some of them, I was holding a racquet behind my head, draped across my shoulders. I'm a striker. Why would I ever hold it like that?" Neil ranted, heading for the bathroom.

"Because you're an idiot," Andrew called after him, before walking toward the window to smoke his cigarette.

Neil emerged from the shower. He was enveloped in a cloud of steam, skin flushed and warm, and he walked towards Andrew, hand outstretched toward the cigarette.

Andrew passed it to him.

He watched as Neil put the cigarette between his lips. Neil reached for his phone as he took a deep drag. The tip of the cigarette glowed like a tiny star.

"Are you kidding me?" Neil muttered under his breath.

"What now?" Andrew asked, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"They-" Neil began, shoving the cigarette back at Andrew and running his fingers through his damp hair, "they're not just going for a print campaign."

Andrew hummed, bored.

"They're going all out," Neil continued. "It's going to be everywhere. Subways, bus stations, billboards, all over the country. They're even going to have a moving billboard in New York? Can they even do that?"

"Technology truly is magical," Andrew deadpanned.

"I can't believe this," Neil sighed. "I spend half my life running and hiding and now my face is going to be everywhere."

"Your face already is everywhere," Andrew said, flicking the cigarette out of the window without a second glance, "and you're not running and hiding from anyone."

"No," Neil agreed. "But it's just...strange, isn't it?"

"Stop squirming," Andrew said, leaning closer. "It's unbecoming."

Neil looked down at Andrew. Andrew was still wearing his coat. He smelled like smoke, and the cold wind blowing through the open window tinged his cheeks pink.

"Yes or no?" Andrew said softly, his lips only millimetres away from Neil's own.

"Yes," Neil responded easily, shifting closer and eliminating the distance between them.

 

...

 

**[nickyyhemmick]**

tomorrow's thE BIG DAY BOYZZZZ!

**[nickyyhemmick]**

NEIL'S BILLBOARD UNCOVERED LIVE IN NEW YORK

**[njosten10]**

it's not happening live.

**[njosten10]**

and it's not being uncovered.

**[theaaronminyard]**

Do we seriously all have to go??

**[nickyyhemmick]**

YES

**[nickyyhemmick]**

DUH

**[nickyyhemmick]**

when is the last time the five of us even hung out together?????

**[nickyyhemmick]**

LIKE FOREVER AGO THAT'S WHEN

**[kevinallday]**

Probably about a year ago...

**[kevinallday]**

That's not that long...

**[nickyyhemmick]**

u guys are kind of harshing the vibe don't u think????? :( :( :(

**[njosten10]**

...

**[njosten10]**

we don't have to go see it.

**[njosten10]**

we can just hang out. like normal?

**[nickyyhemmick]**

r u kidding????? and miss seeing NEIL JOSTEN in BIG HUGE HD DEFINITION?????

**[nickyyhemmick]**

i would never forgive myself

**[theaaronminyard]**

You can buy the first round of drinks then. As compensation.

**[kevinallday]**

Neil's made an excellent move for his career here. We should all be supporting it.

**[theaaronminyard]**

We can support it without going to see his stupid face take up half a city.

**[njosten10]**

...

**[nickyyhemmick]**

i like ur stupid face neil :)

**[nickyyhemmick]**

and andrew does tooooo

**[nickyyhemmick]**

oooooooh that reminds me!!!!! i told erik it was just us boyz tomorrow but on Sunday do u mind if we all have dinner together?????

**[kevinallday]**

Only if you stop spelling it boyz...

**[nickyyhemmick]**

ok just us BOIZ then ;)

**[kevinallday]**

SIGH see you guys their tomorrow?

**[nickyyhemmick]**

HAHA KEVIN USED THE WRONG THERE

**[kevinallday]**

I will not take grammar advice from you.

**[kevinallday]**

See you all soon.

**[theaaronminyard]**

See ya

**[andrewminyard]**

Nicky. I'll pick you up at 9am. If you're late we're not waiting for you.

**[njosten10]**

what he means to say is

**[njosten10]**

if your flight is delayed let us know and we'll figure it out

**[nickyyhemmick]**

thx! u guys = THE SWEETEST! <3

**[nickyyhemmick]**

can't wait to see u!

**[njosten10]**

:)

 

...

 

"Wow," Neil said, wincing slightly. "It's big."

He turned to look at Kevin, Aaron, Nicky, and Andrew, who were all craning their necks to take in the sight of Neil, grinning cockily at them from a billboard that was around eight hundred feet wide, and forty feet tall.

Billboard-Neil stopped grinning and the image shifted. Now he was running, aiming to strike a ball. He travelled across the entire width of the billboard before shooting the ball into a goal at the far edge of the board. Then he was drinking water, wiping the back of his hand across a sweaty, grimy forehead. Finally there was a close-up of the shoes, and the tagline flashed across them as Billboard-Neil's feet ran across the board. _Room to breath. Room to fly_. Then, a short close-up of Neil flicking his gaze towards the camera, a smirk on his lips. _Bound_ flashed across his face, and then the billboard reset. On it went, looping and looping.

"Very tasteful," Kevin said eventually.

Neil opened his mouth to make a smart remark, thinking Kevin was being sarcastic, but when he looked across at Kevin, Neil was surprised to find him staring up at the billboard looking impressed. Neil kept his mouth shut and shifted his gaze to the cousins, waiting for their reaction.

" _Ugh,_ " Aaron managed eventually, scowling as he slowly turned around and folded his arms across his chest.

"Even when I turn away I can't unsee it," Aaron continued, his back to the rest of them. "It's disgusting."

"Aaron-" Nicky started.

"I pity the people who are gonna have to pass this every morning on the way to work," Aaron continued. "What a life-ruiner."

"Shut up Aaron," Nicky said, daring to flick his cousin on the back of the head, before turning to Neil.

Neil shifted uncomfortably as Nicky took a deep breath and clasped his hands to his chest with a delighted gasp.

"Oh Neil," Nicky breathed reverently. "It's everything I ever hoped it would be and more! It's perfect."

With that, Nicky pulled out his phone and started taking multiple pictures and short clips of the billboard. Neil watched him send images and videos to Erik and the other PSU alumni before uploading a couple to Instagram and Snapchat.

Then he finally looked to Andrew.

Andrew was still looking at the billboard, his face as blank as ever. Neil, however, had become increasingly adept at reading Andrew's unreadable expressions, and could sense that there was something _off_. He pressed his lips together hard. If he was pushed to give an opinion, he'd say that Andrew was tense. Displeased, even. But it was just a stupid billboard. It didn't make any sense for Andrew to react that way.

He went to say, _what's wrong?_ but stopped himself. Instead he said. "What?"

"What?" Andrew fired back, lightning fast.

" _What_?" Neil pushed back.

Kevin and Nicky looked between the two.

Andrew looked at Neil and then to the billboard. His hands were clenched into fists. Almost to nobody at all, he finally said, "They've retouched your scars."

Neil didn't expect that. He, Nicky, Kevin, and even Aaron squinted up at the billboard, examining it.

"Hardly," Neil scoffed, after examining the giant, scarred face of Billboard-Neil.

"Don't believe me," Andrew shrugged. "It's still the truth."

Andrew exhaled steadily through his nose and then lit up a cigarette. He breathed in deeply and then exhaled again before looking up at the billboard again with a quiet fury in his eyes.

"I guess they have a little bit," Nicky eventually conceded.

"It's fine," Neil said.

"They would retouch anyone a little bit," Kevin told Andrew. "They do it to me. They would do it to you. It's just standard practice."

Andrew dropped his half-finished cigarette to the floor and crushed it beneath his heel.

"They do it to everyone," Kevin said again.

"Not to Neil," Andrew said, glaring at Kevin.

"I said it's _fine_ ," Neil snapped, tired of the conversation. "I did the stupid photoshoot and got my paycheck. What they do with the photos is none of my business."

"It's _my_ business," Andrew replied. "They shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" Neil asked, exasperated. "Because I'm so _perfect_?"

Andrew shook his head a fraction as if Neil were being stupid.

"He said it's fine," Kevin said, casting a wary glance over Andrew.

"Surprise, surprise," Aaron commented drily, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

"Can we all just go get a drink?" Kevin appealed to Andrew.

"Surprise, surprise," Aaron repeated with a smug smirk.

"Listen here, you little shit-" Kevin snapped as Nicky held both his hands up as if he could diffuse the situation simply by waving at it.

Neil didn't hear them.

He was still looking at Andrew, who was looking at the billboard.

He reached out and touched the fabric of Andrew's woollen coat lightly. Andrew turned to him.

"Can we go?" Neil asked, offering a tiny smile. "It's cold out here and I think people have started to notice that the guy from the billboard is standing underneath it."

"You're talking to me as if I'm someone who cares," Andrew answered, but his tone was lighter, and there was less fire in his eyes. "I'm not."

Neil smirked.

"You hate signing autographs," He pointed out.

"That's because Exy fans are intolerable," Andrew muttered, but he folded up his coat collar against the cold and shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned away from Billboard-Neil.

Kevin, Nicky and Aaron quit bickering and Andrew began leading them to the nearest, loudest bar.

Neil followed his family without even looking backwards.

 

...

 

When Neil entered the apartment, he was exhausted. The sight of Andrew slouching on the sofa fiddling with what looked like a very expensive camera helped wake him up.

"Where did you get that?" Neil asked, pointing to it uselessly.

"Bought it," Andrew replied.

"Why?" Neil persisted, sitting next to Andrew on the couch.

"Because I'm a professional athlete who gets paid way too much money for my time and I can't help but piss it all away on things I don't really need," Andrew said, turning to Neil and tilting his head to one side.

"Ha ha," Neil said drily, because he didn't know what else to say.

"Get up," Andrew said suddenly.

"You don't even know how to use it," Neil pointed out.

"Yes I do," Andrew replied immediately. "Up."

Neil sighed and got to his feet. He swayed on the balls of his feet, a sudden nervous energy swooping low in his belly.

"How do you want me?" He asked, linking his hands together and stretching them over the top of his head.

Andrew brought the camera to his eye but didn't press any buttons.

"Like in the picture," Andrew said after a while.

"The billboard?" Neil guessed. "Which bit?"

"All the bits," Andrew replied, kneeling up on the couch. "I'm waiting."

Slowly, Neil began to run through the abundance of poses that the photographer had made him do at the photoshoot. It felt strange and awkward at first, but Andrew didn't seem to be making fun of him or getting tired of the game, so Neil began to feel playful and relaxed. Andrew kept clicking, moving around the room, occasionally crouching down or adjusting a lamp here or there.

After running through all the photoshoot poses and a few of his own improvised ones, Neil stilled. So did Andrew. He didn't lower the camera, but Neil could sense a shift in his body language. Andrew was enjoying this. Neil was too.

"Should I start taking my clothes off?" Neil said softly, looking directly into the lens. He'd meant it as a joke but the way it came out of his mouth sounded ludicrously filthy, laced with want.

Andrew hummed quietly and lowered the camera.

"Maybe next time," He said as he put the camera aside before taking two large strides towards Neil.

" _Yes_ ," Neil answered Andrew's silent question as Andrew's fists balled up in his shirt, pushing him towards the wall.

 

...

 

One month later it was colder still, and Andrew was cocooned in a blanket on the floor, two cats and a laptop fighting for space on his lap.

"I can't move," Andrew mumbled.

Neil looked over to him from where he was sprawled on the couch, texting Nicky about potentially visiting Germany within the next year. Neil laughed lightly.

"What was that?" He said, smiling. Sir was getting tired of trying to find space on Andrew's crowded lap and was attempting to head north to Andrew's shoulders.

"I _said_ ," Andrew replied, annoyed, "I can't move. Could you get my credit card from my wallet? I'm trying to buy something online."

"Sure," Neil replied, getting up to grab Andrew's wallet from his pocket. He flipped it open and his fingers rested on a plastic sleeve containing a photo of himself. Andrew had taken maybe a hundred pictures that night a month ago - some of them silly, some of them flirty. But Neil hardly recognised the man in the picture. He was caught right in the middle of a laugh, eyes crinkled and looking off to the side slightly. His lips and cheeks were flushed pink, and his auburn curls were messy from the excitement.

"Staring," Andrew's voice snapped him out of his trance, and he grabbed Andrew's credit card before closing the wallet and tucking it back into Andrew's pocket.

"Thank you," Neil said as he passed Andrew the credit card.

"For what?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For allowing me to see the real me," Neil replied, settling down on the floor next to Andrew and leaning against him.

He dozed off to the sound of Andrew's fingers tapping on the keyboard and the purring of the cats.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read. :)
> 
> I've been contemplating writing AFTG fic for a few weeks now and I've been putting it off because I thought the characters would be too hard to write. It ended up being not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I have a few other ideas, so hopefully this might be the start of something!


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